Oral cancer is a little recognized disease that claims some 8000 American lives each year, making it more typical than cervical, liver, and skin cancer. A comparatively new and painless diagnostic test can assist avoid oral cancer. Find out more.

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Actor Michael Douglas’ announcement of his fight against stage IV orophayngeal cancer has heightened the public’s awareness and concern of this potentially fatal illness and has highlighted the alarming boost of this sort of cancer.

Due to the fact of the lack of awareness and understanding, oral cancers can go undetected for really some time, more frequently than not; the symptoms of oral cancer are not noticed until it’s too late.

Going to your Dentist can save your life

The mouth is our territory; Dentists are trained in knowing what to look for and how to properly screen for cancers and detect other problems that can affect your oral health.

It’s essential to make certain your dentist offers screenings for oral cancers and takes immediate action if any pathology is found. It is one of the several reassurances my patients obtain as component of their routine dental health exams.

Oral cancer screenings are in the headlines now, but at my dental practice in Dallas, it has been in the spot light for years.  Keeping patients informed about oral cancer and offering screenings is a priority.  Sharing with my community is also crucial; I frequently participate in community screenings throughout the year in conjunction with the Academy of General Dentistry.

Oral Cancer Symptoms and Facts

Oral cancer appears as a growth or sore that does not go away. Oral cancer consists of cancers of the lips, tongue, cheek, floor of the mouth, difficult and soft palate, sinuses and throat, and can be life-threatening if not detected and treated early. Most American’s have by no means heard of oral cancer, as a result it goes undetected until it reaches a stage that is resistant to treatment.

In the past, tobacco was the prime cause of oral cancer; even so, recent studies have attributed the steady boost of the disease to the human papillovirus (HPV). Nine of the 130 different versions of HPV trigger cancers and the HPV16 trigger virtually half of the oral cancers reported in the United States.

Approximately 35,000 men and women will be diagnosed with oral cancer every year and about 7,600 will die from the illness. Oral cancer accounts for roughly two percent of all cancers diagnosed annually in the United States. Almost half of those diagnosed with the illness are younger the 50 years old, and some being as young as 20.  Often, there are no symptoms in the early stages of oral cancer, making this an very harmful disease.

Your Very first Line of Defense

Your dentist is your first line of defense in screening for oral cancer. Regular screenings by your dentist are extremely critical and can help detect oral cancer prior to it reaches the later stages. When oral cancer is found and treated in the early stages, a patient has an 80 to 90-percent chance of survival.

If you have not seen your dentist recently, please call this week and make an appointment.  Don’t wait for symptom to be screened.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Our dental practice would to extend our greatest wishes to Mr. Douglas, and his family, in his fight with cancer and are hopeful for his victory. We also applaud his unselfish courage for openly discussing his private health issues and bringing an overdue awareness to this insidious illness.

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